Not better—different.

Companies keep trying to be better than their competition when they really need to be different.

Every company and organization keeps striving to be better. They keep shouting from the rooftops how the product or service is better than the competition. In reality—no one cares.

It’s not that no one cares, it’s just that most customers today are simply too busy to take the time to determine how your product or service is better than the current product or service they are already using. And, most companies “better” is simply not enough to clearly see. In short, very few people read your spec sheets. Is an Apple iPhone a better phone than a Samsung Galaxy? Hardly. On paper, the Samsung wins every time. So why does everyone by an iPhone?

They key to winning customers is not about being better, it’s about being different. You want to be a different choice than your competitor in the areas that matter most (the category attributes most important to you customer). Then you need to create contrast. In a fast-paced, hyper-competitive world, your customers have the attention span of a gnat—you need to make choices both fast and easy. The only way to do that is to be noticeably different.

So, stop trying to be better and start trying to be different. It’s the only way to gain marketshare today.

Steve Brazell, Founder of Hitman Inc., Competition Removal®